Reports

The ZHDR 2017 has a special focus on issues of climate change, hence its theme is Climate Change and Human Development: Towards Building a Climate Resilient Nation. This is because the Government of Zimbabwe regards climate change as a challenge which has the potential to undermine many of the positive achievements made in meeting the country’s development goals. The ZHDR 2017 seeks to provide an in-depth analysis of challenges relating to climate change and human development in order to mainstream climate change into national planning and build the resilience of vulnerable people in the country to climate change using a human development lens.

Teenage pregnancy in the Dominican Republic is a complex problem and of high concern to the national agenda. Available data indicate that 22% of women between 12-19 years have been pregnant. This rate is 34% higher than the average for Latin America and the Caribbean. Teenage pregnancy is concentrated in specific areas of the country – the southern provinces and central Cibao - as well as among poorer people. The fact that the indicator (adolescent fertility rate) has shown little variation in the last three decades makes the picture complex. All this poses a development challenge that requires urgent attention, especially in a country that has experienced significant progress in terms of economic growth and improvements in many of its social indicators.

The intrinsic value of sports and physical activities (SPAs) is already well-established, just like their relation to good health, sociability, cognition, productivity, and quality of life as a whole. Even so, most people are not involved with these practices. This National Human Development Report assumes that SPAs have the potential to enrich our lives and increase the freedom of choice of every individual—they are rights, not duties. As a result, we strongly advocate for governments to adopt public policies consistent with the importance of SPAs for human development, as well as prescribe similar initiatives for the private sector and civil society organizations.